Beverly Lynn... airport question

[arkie]

I have not flown alot and I have never used E tickets.
We leave Monday June 4th from the Memphis airport flying US Air, we have a connecting flight in Charlotte.
My questions are: How early do I need to get to the airport and where do I have to check in? Any help would be welcomed!

 

[Kermit]

You should usually get to the airport at least an hour before your flight time. Actually, a little earlier is better, especially if it's a big airport. I've never been to the Memphis airport, so I don't have any idea how big it is, but if it's large, you should call the airline before you leave to find out what gate your flight is scheduled to leave from. When you get to the airport, there may be signs telling you where to park depending on what gate you need. (That's the way the airport in Dallas and Atlanta are; there may be less parking lots in Memphis.) When you go into the airport, you'll see monitors labeled Arrivals and Departures. Look for your flight number on the Departures and make sure it's still scheduled for that gate, and then go to the gate. When the airline employees start working the gate (they won't be there yet if you're early), they'll check you in and give you your boarding pass.

 

[GoldenOldie]

If you have luggage to check it can usually be handled curbside and always be handled at the regular ticket counter.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

yes we have always advised people min one hour prior to flt time for check in. with an e tkt you can curbside check your bags and then head to the gate. and at some airports the skycaps are even checking you in now for your flt. if your airport is one doing it the skycap will let you know. its in a test mode right now so its only in select markets. then you can go right to your gate. and they are even trying these new etkts kiosks that let you check yourself in! I know Continental has some and usair does as well. its also in the test mode.

 

[Uncle Mikey]

The first question I have for you is are you flying out on Saturday or Monday? June 2nd is on Saturday this year. The 4th is a Monday. The reason I ask this is a matter of traffic. I live in the San Francisco/Oakland area of California. If I leave on a Saturday morning the traffic allows me to leave a little later for the airport than the hideous traffic on a Monday does. If Memphis is anything like that you might want to consider leaving much earlier. If you are driving to the airport make sure there is actually a place to park in their long term lot. Call ahead to check and have an alternate private lot lined up to use if long term is all filled up. Most everyone agrees to get there at least an hour ahead of time. I actually like to get there about an hour and a half ahead of time (depending on the time of year sometimes two hours). This gives me a little room to work with if there are any unexpected problems. I prefer to check my luggage curbside and then proceed to the gate area. If they are not manning the gate area yet, I just go get a cup of coffee and start reading my book. I then check in with the agents at the gate and relax and read till boarding. Now I don't know if this will happen to you but every time I go in and out of Charlotte, I have to change terminals. The airlines sometimes have agents at your gate to direct you. If not find the nearest set of screens for your airline and get ready to walk. If you are not sure where you are going stop at an agent and ask. I learned my lessons the hard way over thirty plus years of flying. I hope this helps a little. There are a lot of experienced flyers to learn from here. Have a great trip.

 

[bicker]

Memphis isn't as difficult to navigate as San Francisco. I'm not sure where US is in MEM though, because I always was there flying NW, since it is their hub.

Charlotte is actually a very nice airport to connect through, especially on US. While there are a few concourses, they're all connected by a central hub -- no leaving a terminal and going to another one. That was even true switching from US Airways Express to US Airways (though that may have changed). They've got a few fast-food places in the hub and for some reason they're lightning quick compared to other airports.

 

[skeezixspud]

If that is your route and you are travelling on Monday, your worst problem will be the bridge traffic crossing into TN; it will mostly be trucks, as 55 bypasses the business district to the south. Once you get into Memphis you should lose the traffic fairly quickly, because you will be going south against the primary flow.

The airport exit from 55 in Memphis is not well-marked, and it's easy to miss it. Be careful or you might find yourself circling. Stay in the right lane as much as possible; the exit sign is on the roadside, and you might drive right by it if there is a truck between you and the sign; that has happened to me twice on business trips to Memphis when heading back to the airport.

The Memphis airport itself is fairly small and easy to navigate; you should have no trouble once you get inside.
I've never had to park there, though; can't help with that.

 

[william41]

Arkie-

First of all, welcome to the DIS from a fellow Arkansan!

I don't know how close you are to Memphis, but we're in Central Ark. close to LR and are driving to Memphis and flying out the following Monday (11th)! We plan on driving up Sunday afternoon and staying at the Radisson Hotel-Memphis Airport overnight and catch the flight out the next day. They have a 'Park & Fly' rate that allows you to leave your vehicle w/ them up to 12 days free of charge! It's a secure lot and well lit. We did this last year and loved it so much that we're doing it again. It sure saves on parking fees! There's a free shuttle from the hotel that will take you to the airport (it's on airport property) that's only a couple minutes driving time, so it's a no hassle/no-brainer for us.

We've flown USAir last year and connected in Charlotte. You'll like the airport. If you have a significant lay-over there and are hungry, there's a Chili's that's really good and a Cheers! Restaurant that sells the typical souvenirs from the TV Show. The food's not that impressive.

We're flying NW this time 'cause I found my first direct flight! Memphis to Orlando in TWO hours- I can't wait! I just got lucky, I guess

Everyone else has answered your flight questions- I just wanted to pop in and say 'hi'!

Have a Great Trip!

 

[Uncle Mikey]

If you would like to take a look at and get information on each one of the airports you will be using go to home.digitalcity.com/airports. Just click on any of the cities you are going to or through and this will provide you with some info on each one and you can also access their official websites through there. By the way, you never said how you were getting from the airport to WDW. Have a great trip!

 

[arkie]

Thanks for all the replies. It has helped alot. It is Saturday night now as I type so that means just 36 more hours to gone. Oh, by the way we are using Tiffany Town Car to and from the airport.
Thanks again for the help.

 

[Uncle Mikey]

Good choice on the transportation from the airport to WDW. Have a wonderful trip and post a report on your trip when you get back. We'll look forward to it.